West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that the present government has given the utmost importance to the welfare of the people living in the hill areas of North Bengal. The hill regions of the state belong to the Eastern Himalayas and comprise the Kalimpong district, as well as the Darjeeling and Kurseong regions.
A high-level virtual administrative meeting was held today, attended by Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) Principal Secretary Sama Parvin, and the Principal Secretaries of the Municipal Affairs and Disaster Management Departments. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista and three MLAs representing the hill areas were also present.
The districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong come under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in accordance with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Act, which was enacted in 2011.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state government will actively work to reopen closed tea gardens in the Hills and Terai regions of West Bengal by leveraging Central government welfare schemes. He further informed that the Centre has assured a budget allocation of ₹300 crore for the development of the hill areas, and that the Deputy Chairman of the Tea Board will oversee the operational details.
Addressing the teachers’ recruitment scam within the GTA under the erstwhile TMC government-where the appointments of 400 teachers have been questioned-Adhikari stated that the state government will withdraw the case currently sub judice in the Supreme Court. Previously, the Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the scam, prompting the former TMC administration to appeal to the Supreme Court for a stay.
Additionally, Adhikari announced that an alleged water supply scam under the AMRUT scheme will be investigated, emphasizing that the state government will work in close coordination with the Central government-appointed interlocutor for the hills.
Regarding infrastructure and healthcare, the West Bengal government will conduct a detailed survey to modernize hospitals and supply advanced medical equipment to the region. The Chief Minister shared that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) will soon be prepared for the construction of the Kalimpong Medical College.
Furthermore, all municipalities in the area have been directed to ensure the seamless delivery of basic amenities, including clean drinking water, quality healthcare, education, robust roads, and functional street lighting.
Speaking on disaster management, Adhikari assured that the West Bengal government will take all necessary precautions and fully prepare its emergency response mechanisms to handle potential natural disasters in the hill and Terai regions.
To streamline the administration of North Bengal’s hill and Terai regions, the Deputy Chairman of the Tea Board will visit the hills on June 2, followed by visits from the Principal Secretaries of the Municipal Affairs and Disaster Management Departments within the next ten days.
